Retaining assembly for flat mop refill

ABSTRACT

The present invention generally relates to a retaining assembly for a flat mop refill and primarily comprises: a base, having an operative bottom surface and a top; and a plurality of retaining portions provided at least at four corners of the top, wherein each said retaining portion inlaid in the base has hollow interior and an elastic flap positioned thereover on which a plurality of tooth portions are provided in the manner to collectively construct a saw-toothed opening, wherein the tooth portions are arranged in a staggered manner and each has at least one grasping portion extended inward the retaining portion so that the mop refill can be grasped by the grasping portions and firmly attached to the base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to a retaining assembly for a flat mop refill and, more particularly, to a structure of a mop for grasping and tightly seizing a flat mop refill.

2. Description of Related Art

For holding a mop refill, a conventional mop refill retaining assembly typically implements a buckle mechanism or a grasping mechanism wherein the latter is relatively more popular due to its advantages of easy fabrications and simple composition over the former.

As shown in FIG. 1, a flap mop with a conventional grasping mechanism primarily comprises a base I and a handle 2, which is extended upward from the base 1. A plurality of retaining portions 3 may be provided at the top of the base 1 and circling the handle 2 for retaining apexes of a mop refill C so that the mop refill C can tightly wrap the base 1. Specifically, each of the retaining portions 3 encloses an inner space, which can be seen clearly in FIG. 2, and an elastic flap 4 is provided over the space and aligned with the top of the base 1. Each said elastic flap 4 comprises a saw-toothed opening that is constructed from a plurality of tooth portions 5. To make the apex of the mop refill C retained, a user can exert force onto the elastic flap 4 with the mop refill C placed intermediately so that as the tooth portions 5 become deformed under the force that in turn causes the space of the retaining portion 3 open, the mop refill C can be pushed into the space, as shown in FIG. 2.

Such a conventional grasping mechanism may permit simple and quick operation for retaining the apexes of the mop refill C at the retaining portions 3 on the base 1. However, in practical use, the mop refill C can be disadvantageously pulled away from the retaining portions 3 of the base 1 by the friction force generated between the mop refill C and the ground because the tooth portions 5 fail to provide a sufficient retaining force. On the other hand, the tooth portions 5 tend to jam a user's finger when the user installs the mop refill C because the tooth portions 5 are formed by cutting or die-punching the elastic flap 4 and an interval D exists between each two adjacent tooth portions 5, as shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, in the event that the intervals D are excessively wide (i.e. wider than two times of the thickness of the mop refill C), the tooth portions 5 can merely retain the mop refill C by resiling and making the inner space closed instead of grasping the mop refill C directly, and this renders the grasping effect handicapped.

Hence, it is the objective of the present invention to make the tooth portions firmly grasp the mop refill so as to overcome the friction force generated between the mop refill and the ground.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under these circumstances in view to provide a retaining assembly for a flat mop refill. The disclosed retaining assembly implements a plurality of tooth portions that collectively construct a saw-toothed opening. Each of the tooth portions is extended toward a corresponding inner space of a retaining portion and formed in the inner space as a grasping portion so that the resilience of an elastic flap can effectively act on the mop refill. As a result, the mop refill can be grasped by the tooth portions and firmly fixed to the base. Besides, since the grasping portions are provided as a sloping downward structure, a user can be protected from jamming his/her finger when installing the mop refill.

To achieve the objectives of the present invention, the retaining assembly for a flat mop refill comprises:

a base, having an operative bottom surface and a top; and

a plurality of retaining portions provided at least at four corners of the top, wherein each said retaining portion inlaid in the base has hollow interior and an elastic flap positioned thereover on which a plurality of tooth portions are provided in the manner to collectively construct a saw-toothed opening, wherein the tooth portions are arranged in a staggered manner and each has at least one grasping portion extended inward the retaining portion so that a mop refill can be grasped firmly by the grasping portions and in turn overcome the friction force generated between the mop refill and the ground.

According to the retaining assembly for a flat mop refill of the present invention, the grasping portions extended from the tooth portions facilitate effectively transforming the resilience of the elastic flap into a grasping force of the tooth portions acting on the mop refill so that the mop refill can be firmly fixed to the base. Further, as each grasping portion extended downward from the tooth portion protrudes into the corresponding inner space as far as at least one of ten of the depth thereof, the user is protected from jamming his/her finger between the grasping portions when installing the mop refill, so as to ensure safety of use.

According to a concept of the retaining assembly for a flat mop refill of the present invention, an extendable and universally rotatable handle may be settled on the top of the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an assembly drawing of a conventional flat mop;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along with line A-A of FIG. 1 showing the intervals between each two adjacent tooth portions wider than the thickness of the mop refill;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along with line A-A of FIG. 1 showing the interval between each two adjacent tooth portions narrower than the thickness of the mop refill;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the retaining assembly for a flap mop refill of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along with line B-B of FIG. 4 showing the mop refill pushed inward and entering the grasping portions;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along with line B-B of FIG. 4 showing the mop refill grasped by the grasping portions;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along with line C-C of FIG. 4 showing the mop refill placed above the grasping portions; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along with line C-C of FIG. 4 showing the mop refill grasped by the grasping portions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

It is to be stated firstly that the mop refill described in the following description may be a wiper, a piece of dusting cloth or a piece of electrostatic dust paper.

Please refer to FIGS. 4 through 8. The retaining assembly for a flat mop refill of the present invention comprises a base 10 and a plurality of retaining portions 20. The base 10 has an operative bottom surface 11 and a top 12 which are oppositely positioned. The operative bottom surface 11 is an elastic pad while a surface of the top 12 is equipped with a swayable and rotatable handle 111 through a universal joint. Further, an accommodating recess 101 is provided at each corner of the base 10 for accommodating the said respective retaining portion 20. The accommodating recesses 101 are arranged as circling the universal joint or handle 111.

Each of the retaining portions 20 is inlaid into the said accommodating recess 101 provided at the top 12 of the base 10 and encloses an inner space 201. An elastic flap 21 is provided at the top of each said retaining portion 20 and aligned with the surface of the top 12 of the base 10. Each of he elastic flaps 21 has a saw-toothed opening 22 constructed from a plurality of tooth portions 221, wherein, each said tooth portion 221 is extended into the inner space 201 for a predetermined distance and formed as an arc grasping portion 222, so as to exert force to the mop refill C and retain the mop refill C at the upper surface of the base 10.

Now referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, to install the mop refill C onto the base 10, the mop refill C is firstly placed at the middle portion thereof covering the operative bottom surface 11. Then two lengthwise sides C1 of the mop refill C can be pulled upward and folded reversely in the manner that the two lengthwise sides C1 can be positioned corresponding to the retaining portions 20 provided at two sides of the base 10, as shown in FIG. 7. Afterward, a finger or a hand tool may be implemented to push the mop refill C toward the elastic flaps 21. According to FIG. 8, under the pushing force, the tooth portions 221 at the surface become deformed and in turn permit the mop refill C to enter the inner space 201 (as the left retaining portion shown in FIG. 6). Afterward, when the tooth portions 221 are released from the pushing force caused by the finger or the hand tool, the grasping portions 222 of the tooth portions 221 resile under the resilience of the elastic flap 21 and grasp the mop refill C are arranged in a staggered manner (as the right retaining portion 20 shown in FIGS. 6 and 8). Since the entire length of each said tooth portion 221 and the associated grasping portion 222 is greater than that of the conventional tooth portion 5, the resilience of the elastic flap 21 can be effectively transformed into a grasping force, so that the tooth portions 221 upon the grasping portions 222 can firmly retain the mop refill C inside the inner space 201, and therefore the result that the mop refill C gets firmly attached to the base 10 can be achieved. Further, as each grasping portion 222 protrudes into the corresponding inner space 201 as far as at least one of ten of the depth thereof, and is extended downward from the tooth portion 221 with a slope of at least 10 degrees, the user is effectively protected from jamming his finger between the grasping portions 222 when installing the mop refill C. Moreover, the inner space 201 can further restrict the elastic flap 21 so that the deformation stress of the deformed elastic flap 21 can be transformed into a grasping force of the grasping portions 222 acting on the mop refill C.

Preferably, the sides of the elastic flap 21 parallel to the saw-toothed opening 22 is made slightly shorter than the corresponding sides of the opening of the inner space 201 while the sides of the elastic flap 21 perpendicular to the saw-toothed opening 22 is made slightly longer than the corresponding sides of the opening of the inner space 201 so that a squeeze force can be produced when the elastic flap 21 is pushed into the opening of the inner space 201. More preferably, the elastic flap 21 is longer or shorter than the inner space 201 at a length between 0.5 mm and 5 mm.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that numerous variations will be possible to the disclosed embodiments without going outside the scope of the invention as disclosed in the claims. 

1. A retaining assembly for a flat mop refill, which is adapted to attach the mop refill firmly to a flat mop, comprising a base, having an operative bottom surface and a top; and a plurality of retaining portions provided at the top, wherein each said retaining portion has an inner space and an elastic flap provided thereover in which the elastic flap has a saw-toothed opening constructed from a plurality of tooth portions, wherein each said tooth portion is extended inward to the corresponding retaining portion and thus formed as at least one grasping portion so that the resilience of the elastic flap can be transformed into a downward grasping force of the grasping portions acting on the mop refill; wherein the grasping portions extended downward from the tooth portions protrude into the inner space with a slope, a user can be protected from jamming his/her finger between the grasping portions when installing the mop refill.
 2. The retaining assembly according to claim 1, wherein the grasping portions are arranged in a staggered manner and contact mutually while protruding into the inner spaces as far as at least one of ten of the depth thereof and having a slope of at least 5 degrees.
 3. The retaining assembly according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of accommodating recesses is provided on the top for permitting the retaining portions to be inlaid therein.
 4. The retaining assembly according to claim 3, wherein a universally rotatable universal joint is provided on the top.
 5. The retaining assembly according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of accommodating recesses are arranged as circling the universal joint.
 6. The retaining assembly according to claim 1, wherein the size of the inner space can be designed to further squeeze the elastic flap, so as to enhance the deformation stress of the deformed elastic flap and in turn improve the grasping force of the grasping portion acting on the mop refill.
 7. The retaining assembly according to claim 1, wherein the sides of the elastic flap parallel to the saw-toothed opening is designed slightly shorter than the corresponding sides of an opening of the inner space while the sides of the elastic flap perpendicular to the saw-toothed opening is designed slightly longer than the corresponding sides of the opening of the inner space so that a squeeze can be produced when the elastic flap is pushed into the opening of the inner space, wherein the elastic flap is longer or shorter than an opening of the inner space for a length between 0.5 mm and 25 mm. 